The Greek, Latin, Ge’ez, and Hebrew that is translated as “shepherd” in English is translated in Kouya as Bhlabhlɛɛ ‘yliyɔzʋnyɔ — ” tender of sheep.”
Philip Saunders (2004, p. 231) explains:
“Then one day they tackled the thorny problem of ‘shepherd’. It was problematic because Kouyas don’t have herdsmen who stay with the sheep all the time. Sheep wander freely round the village and its outskirts, and often a young lad will be detailed to drive sheep to another feeding spot. So the usual Kouya expression meant a ‘driver of sheep’, which would miss the idea of a ‘nurturing’ shepherd. ‘A sheep nurturer’ was possible to say, but it was unnatural in most contexts. The group came up with Bhlabhlɛɛ ‘yliyɔzʋnyɔ which meant ‘a tender of sheep’, that is one who keeps an eye on the sheep to make sure they are all right. All, including the translators, agreed that this was a most satisfactory solution.”
Other translations include:
Chuj: “carer” (there was no single word for “shepherd”) (source: Ronald Ross)
Muna: “sheep guard” (dhagano dhumba) (there was no immediate lexical equivalent) (source: René van den Berg),
Mairasi: “people who took care of domesticated animals” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 4:14:
Uma: “The planter(s), they are people who announce God’s Word.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The person who broadcasted seeds,’ said Isa, ‘if explained, he is the man teaching/preaching the word/message of God to the people.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “In my parable, the meaning of the person’s planting is the spreading of the word of God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The meaning of the parable is this. The seeds that were sown, that is the word of God.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “This is the meaning of that one. That seed which was scattered is the word of God which is being taught.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Isthmus Mixe: “The sowing person he sowed the seed; thus it is also how God’s word is spread.”
Usila Chinantec: “The one who sows is like one who speaks the word of God.”
Chuj: “The man who sowed the seed, that means he spread forth the word of God.”
San Mateo Del Mar Huave: Then he began to tell them what he taught the story about. He said,Well, that sower there is like one who talks the word of God. (Here the transition to the explanation has been made explicit as required by San Mateo Del Mar Huave) (Source for this and three above: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.).
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:44:
Uma: “All of those believers in Yesus, they were united/agreed. Their belongings they had in common.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “All who trusted in Isa were together, and whatever they had they shared/gave to each other if someone was in need.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The unity of the believers was strong. That person who had possessions, he gave also to his companions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “All the believers were continuing to meet-together and share-with-each-other their possessions.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “As for the believers, what they did was, they were always/often gathering together and they were all really harmonious. They didn’t hold-back any of their possessions which were needed by their sibling in believing.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Chuj: “All of them who had believed in Jesus were united in mind. Everything of theirs, one only they treated it (as common property).”
Isthmus Mixe: “The ones who had believed were working together. They owned everything together.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “All that believed followed one another and what they had they gave to one another.”
Lalana Chinantec: “All the people who believed the words of God were continually coming together; they were very kind to their companions. They never reserved for themselves all of their things.” (Source for this and three above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 5:17:
Uma: “At that time, the Big Priest with his companions that followed the teaching of the Saduki, they became jealous of the apostles of the Lord Yesus. That’s why they began to persecute them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “So then, the leading priest and his companions the Sadduseo in Awrusalam, they were really jealous of the commissioned ones.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And at that time the high priest and his companions and the Sadducee people, they were very jealous of the apostles.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When that was so, the highest priest and his companions the Saducees were excessively jealous of the apostles.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “When that’s how it was, the jealousy became much worse of the Most-important Priest and all his companions who were Saduceo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Chuj + verse 18: “!After that the chief priest, with all those his companions who were the people called Sadducees, their faces became red because of their jealousy. They caused the sent ones of Jesus to be apprehended; they had them put into the prison of the town rulers.” (Source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 1:6:
Uma: “One other time, when his disciples gathered at one time with Yesus, they asked Yesus, they said: ‘Lord, is it perhaps at this time you (sing.) will release us from our enemies and become the King of the Israel people?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “One day while Isa and the persons/people he had commissioned were gathered together, they asked him, they said, ‘Sir, are you now going to set free our (excl.) nation/tribe Isra’il and will you now restore the kingdom to us (excl.)?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there was a time when they were gathered together again, and they asked Jesus, they said, ‘Lord, is this now the time of your helping us, the descendants of Israel, so that our former power to be ruled by our own king might be returned to us?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When the apostles and Jesus gathered-together, they inquired of him, ‘Lord, is it now when you will cause-the ones-from-Roma -to-be-removed who are ruling over us so that we who are from-Israel will-be-the-ones-to-rule?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Once again when the apostles were gathered together, Jesus again came to see them. They questioned him. They said, ‘Lord/Chief, will you now/today make it that these ruling over us will be removed so that the kingdom of our nation of Israel can rise again?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Teutila Cuicatec: “In those days when they were gathered together they asked Jesus: ‘Is it now in these days that you are going to re-establish that the nation of Israel rule itself?'”
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “So when they were still together with Father Jesus they asked him, they said: ‘Father, will you now permit the people of Israel to rule their own villages again?’ they said.”
Chuj: “Those gathered together with Jesus, they asked him: ‘Lord, is it now you will make our tribe Israel to become the rulers one time more?’ they said.” (Source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 3:6:
Uma: “Petrus also said: ‘I don’t have any money. But what I do have, that is what I give to you: With the power of Yesus Kristus of Nazaret I say, walk!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But Petros said, ‘I have really no money. But I give you what I have. By the power of Isa Almasi, the man of Nasaret, I command/tell you to walk.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Peter said, ‘I don’t have any gold or silver, but what I do have, I give to you. Because of the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, you are able to walk.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Whereupon Pedro said, ‘I have absolutely no money, but what I do have, that is what-I will-help-you (sing.) -with. On-account-of the power of the name of Jesu Cristo from-Nazaret, walk.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But Pedro said, ‘As for silver and gold, we (excl.) have none to give, but there is indeed something else I will give you. Through the strength of the supernatural-power of Jesu-Cristo the taga Nazaret, stand up right now for you will now be able to walk.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Chuj: “But Peter said: ‘I have no money at all. But what I can do by God, that I will do for you. Only because of his-power Jesus Christ from Nazareth, stand up; walk,’ said Peter.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
